No Brand Girl!
is the second episode of the [[Boys Over Flowers (anime)|''Boys Over Flowers anime]] that aired on September 15, 1996. It was followed by the third episode of the series, "I Won't be Hurt!". Tsukasa Domyoji kidnaps Tsukushi Makino and gives her a makeover, aiming to win her affection. She outright refuses his obvious attempt to buy her. Later, Tsukushi meets Yuriko Asai and her friends, who then invite her to a party. Plot Tsukushi Makino arrives at Eitoku Academy, ready to fight, though a little depressed about previous events. The F4 arrive shortly after her, exciting all the students. Tsukushi quickly hides among the crowd. For a brief second Tsukushi makes eye contact with Rui Hanazawa. She blushes despite him not acknowledging her. Walking through the hallways, several students say "good morning" to Tsukushi. She overhears another student talking about it as a game to silently rebel against the F4. Tsukushi is annoyed at first, but eventually feels flattered. Just outside the classroom, Makiko Endo attempts to speak to her. Tsukushi motions for her to stay silent and hands her the voice recorder, which has a message saying "Don't worry about me." After class, Tsukushi searches for Rui at the stairwell, hoping to thank him for saving her earlier. Just as she is about to leave, she hears the sound of a violin. Tsukushi finds Rui in the school's rose garden, where she listens to him play in silence. After a while, he notices her presence and demands "What are you doing here?" Tsukushi thanks him profusely for saving her the other day. Rui, however, says "I shouldn't have helped you, if you were going to be such a pest." She is undeterred by his blunt comment and voices her hope to see him later at the emergency exit. He replies "Then I won't go there again." Tsukushi is once again not mad about his harsh words, which she herself comments as "strange." She then relives his music in her mind. Back in the classroom, Makiko sneaks the voice recorder into Tsukushi's hands. She listens to the message, which says "Tsukushi, good luck." On her way home, a group of men in suits approach Tsukushi and grab her. She then sees Tsukasa Domyoji, who tells her "You're going to pay for what you did." The men then force her into a car. Tsukushi becomes nervous when Tsukasa smiles crazily at her. She continues to struggle, leading the men to place a handkerchief over her mouth. She wakes up to three women hovering over her. They undress her and give her massage. Tsukushi offers up little resistance, evidently in too much shock by the situation. A stylist then arrives to do her hair and makeup. Once changed into a new outfit, Tsukushi is surprised by her transformation. Next, Tsukushi is escorted into a room, where Tsukasa finally shows himself and reveals that she is at his house. He shows her a portrait of his sister, before making proposal to "allow" Tsukushi to be around him. Tsukasa adds "Of course, you'll never be a replacement for my sister." Tsukushi throws her shoe at him, before wiping her makeup off and demanding her uniform back. He is puzzled by her rejecting his attempt to buy her. She leaves after declaring "Don't put me together with all the other girls out there." Tsukasa is once again reminded of his sister. Outside his house, Tsukushi bumps into Rui. She asks "Do you think there's anything money can't buy?," to which he answers "air" and smiles. Tsukushi realizes that a smile, especially Rui's, cannot be bought. The next day, Tsukushi enters her classroom to find her classmates gathered around the blackboard. On it is written lies about her being in a gang and having a "bastard child." She assumes that Tsukasa is the culprit and immediately confronts him. Tsukushi declares that she is a virgin, so she could not have a "bastard child." Upon returning to class, she sees Yuriko Asai, Minako Yamano, and Erika Ayuhara erasing the words from the blackboard. They act sympathetic towards her plight and invite her to a casual party. At work, Tsukushi is talking to Yuki Matsuoka about it, when Rui and Sojiro Nishikado enter the store. Rui purchases a small pastry because "It's cute." Later, Tsukushi attends the party, which turns out not to be casual at all. Cast and characters Other *Taikichi Makino *Tsubaki Domyoji Additional voices'https://www.mau2.com/anime/hanayoridango/casts (Japanese) *Daisuke Kishio (bodyguard A) *Masataka Nakai (bodyguard B) *Miwa Matsumoto (esthetician A) *Naoko Okada (esthetician B) *Yusuke Oguri (male student) Staff *'Screenplay: Yumi Kageyama *'Director': Yoshihiro Oka *'Animation director': Chuji Nakajima *'Art director': Tadanomi Shimokawa Notes *The episode covers three chapters from the first arc of the manga. *Toei's website mistakenly lists this episode as having aired on September 8, 1996, which is actually the premiere of the first episode.http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/TV/hanadan/2.html (Japanese) References See also External links *"No Brand Girl!" at the official website *"No Brand Girl!" on Toei Animation * Category:A to Z Category:Anime Category:Episodes Category:Anime episodes